The Beiping Academy and Its Search for Ancient Capitals in the Political Context of the Nanjing Decade (1927–1937)

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ID: 322108
2026
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Abstract
Abstract This chapter explores the role of the Beiping Academy in the search for and excavation of ancient capitals in the Republican period (1911–1949) in China. Following the discovery of the last Shang dynasty capital at Anyang and several successful excavations by the Institute of Archaeology, the Beiping Academy attempted to identify and excavate the capitals of the Zhou and Qin dynasties. This chapter reconstructs the Academy’s early activities. It examines the intellectual and political frameworks that shaped the Academy’s structure and highlights the contributions of key figures like Li Shizeng, Ma Heng, and especially Xu Xusheng. Xu, a philosopher, volunteered in Ma Heng’s 1920s surveys and served as the Chinese co-director of Sven Hedin’s 1927–28 Central Asia expedition, later becoming head of the Archaeology Section of the Society for Historical Research at the Beiping Academy. In 1933, in Shaanxi, he combined traditional localisation methods based on historical records and gazetteers with physical evidence to verify what he believed were the historical capitals of Zhou and Qin. Xu’s major achievement was founding the Shaanxi Archaeological Society in 1934, a joint venture between the Beiping Academy and the Shaanxi provincial government. I also address the challenges posed by the campaign against tomb excavation led by Guomindang ideologist Dai Jitao. With support from Cai Yuanpei and anarchist intellectuals, the prohibition of excavations was avoided. This chapter thus sheds light on the complex interplay between archaeology, ideology, and politics in Republican China.
Reference Key
openalex_W7170031545 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Maria Khayutina
Journal Oxford University Press eBooks
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197800324.013.0006
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197800324.013.0006
Keywords Keywords not found

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